hmm ok I see this topic has been merged. Thanks Mod, i suck at using the search engine
Thankyou Sonia for the wonderful testimony. Just goes to show what meditation can do. What is your favourite meditation technique?
For me, I started meditating for better mental control over my thoughts… I wanted to be able to turn off that inner-voice which I can now successfully do with little effort. I can make it go completely silent for hours at a time just by intending to turn it off. The meditation I used to achieve this ability is what i call Stillness meditation. There are a few ways to do it:
1.) put your attention on your breath, and listen to the sound it makes. Then use that sound to replace the innervoice. You want to try and mimmick the sound in your head, or if you find that too hard you could start off with a mantra like “in” and “out” for every in and out-breath.
2.) actively listen with your ears to the sound of nothing. let me explain… when we are listening to music, or listening to someone talk, all our attention is being focused on our ears to listen and it halts that innervoice… so if you try to actively listen (put your focus on your ears) to the sound of nothing it will stop that innervoice.
3.) there is a part of you deep within, which is still and at rest. It doesn’t care about worries, or the stresses of life… If you look within to find this part of you (perhaps it is the soul?) and just focus your attention on it, then your mind slows down and thoughts disappear.
4.) this is similar to #3, something that Buddha used to reach enlightenment… focusing on the hara/dantien/solar plexus/stomach/diaphram lol there are so many words for the same thing but yeah if you focus on that spot (you should be breathing using your diaphram) it will settle the mind.
Something interesting I found out, is that the intestines are made very similar to the brain… same materials… nerve endings wrapping them all… so the intestines are like a second less intelligent brain. Another thing that is interesting… is that they spiral like a vortex… perhaps this is why people experience a ‘gut instinct’… it is like a lesser brain which interprets emotional energy. So if you focus all your attention on this area, you are paying less attention to thoughts, and more attention to emotions. Once you are feeling a relaxed peaceful emotion, focus on that emotion and try to amplify it.
My favourite meditation technique is one called “running energy meditation” but I am relunctant to share it because it isn’t appropriate for beginners.
There are sooo many meditation techniques… and once you get good at it you can even make your own. Who ever thought you could be good at sitting still? lol.
Just curious about something really…
I personally practice what I believe is a form of Zen meditation, though it probably isn’t. Basically I let myself be relaxed, assume a sitting meditation position (on a chair or on an improvised zafu), balance myself and then concentrate on my breathing until I’m “under”.
What I’m curious about is, what are some things I could use my meditation time for? Of course, simply enjoying the stillness of your mind is valuable as it is, but what do other people tend to do?
moved from stuff forum into the meditation as a LD aid topic
I know it helps alot in Lucid dreams, to have a Lucid dream. I used to combine the techniques together, but I think that, the other night, I was just doing a meditation where you are wide awake and reading something, but concentrating on your breath, clearing out whatever was in my mind , and when I went to sleep, I noticed myself falling asleep and I remembered my dreams without myself telling myself I wanted to remember them. I had no interest until now in recording my dreams. They were the longest dreams and probably remembered every single one of them. I think that you should try this technique. I don’t mean it to brag or anything. But I think meditation does have more of an affect on Lucid dreaming then we know. I don’t remember my dreams, but I remember having them. And the first couple of dreams, I controlled, but I don’t remember the dream I controlled. I want to continue trying this technique out to see what happens. I’m wondering what you think about meditation helping with LD’s. I’m new at this, so maybe I just got lucky that night. Who knows. lol!
I don’t know, that was the first time I meditated in a while. When I used to meditate, I would listen to music and close my eyes and then just try to go somewhere in my mind. Like a beach or something and actually end up there somehow, then when I wake up, I find out that I’m here at home and didn’t really go anywhere. But I’m not sure about any other type of meditation. I don’t know much about meditation. I 'm curious if there is actually a way to go places in your mind spiritually as if you have never went there,while being awake?
I take heaps of medications including vitamins and I can still reach a very deep meditative state regardless. In fact, i would go as far to say its easier to attain a deep state of meditation than it is to lucid dream. But if your a beginner to meditation then it may take you a few attempts before you experience a deep trance-like state.
I usually meditate about 30mins to 1 hour each day, sometimes more. It takes at least 5 minutes to relax yourself and get into the state so I would say 5 minutes is not enough.
I have been meditating on Monday nights with a group for many years. I’ve noticed that quite clearly, Monday nights have produced my most lucid and most vivid dreaming. For me, there is a direct positive correlation between meditation and dreaming.
I just sort of skimmed the topic and picked up a few links and such. The ones I did pick up and red are just so wordy. It’s not direct and to the point. I mean… I can’t really explain it. I guess I’d like to learn how to meditate and what I need to do, rather than sifting through paragraph after paragraph that seems like nothing more than a bunch of spiel.
Which leads me to ask, straight up: I’d like to improve concentration and silence my mind and be more aware of myself and my surroundings and perhaps use meditation to calm myself or maybe even solve certain problems that I have (such as dealing with anger, frequent depression, etc.), and of course get closer to successfully and consistently having lucid dreams.
Hello,
Am new to this forum, new to lucid dreaming.
Got interested though practice of Tibetan Buddhism.
Would like to make an observation that developing mindfullness/awareness in waking life will lend to developing mindfullness/awareness in dream life.
Shamatha meditation is a very simple and direct way to sit and be still, simnply working with your own mind. Instruction is available (for free) at any Shambhala Center. There are such centers in all major cities in US and Europe. You don’t have to prescribe to any particular “religion” to learn how to meditate like this, and it is available to people of any faith or walk of life. The centers were founded by Chogyam Trungpa, so some of his books might be helpful as an intro. to this meditation.
I attended one of Chogyam Trungpa’s talks in Boulder many years ago. He was very alive and spontaneous. Have you studied any Tibetan Dream Yoga practices? I’ve read a little from Lama Surya Das.
I haven’t dreamed of Trungpa, but I had a cool dream with Muktananda.
Last night in dreaming I was at a party. I was talking to a young man about how basketball, which I love, is like a moving meditation. I said to him " there are times when all thought disappears, you enter into the flow of the game like you can enter into the flow of life".
I’m not sure if something like this has been posted, but some people have been asking for a brief description of basic meditation, so I’ll break it down the best I know how.
Meditation comes in a variety of forms from a number of traditions. In Buddhist meditation you keep your eyes closed, while in zen they are open. But no matter the differences, there are a few basic similarities.
to meditate,
Find a comfortable spot to sit and relax. Quiet and alone, without external distractions (or as few as possible)
Sit comfortably but keep good posture. You may find it hard to keep upright when getting started, but if you feel yourself start to slouch try to imagine your shoulders and head are connected to wires, like a puppet.
Breathe. This is the foundation of settling the mind. Breathe in, breathe out. count your breaths or focus on the act itself, whichever you prefer. Just relax, relax every part of you, body and mind.
While meditating, bring awareness to the body. With each exhale feel your self empty of all things. Feel stress, anger, pain, and desire pour out of you like black smoke. Inhale and bring in pure light and feel it rush through you like a wave.
As you continue to breathe, on each exhale feel your whole Self dissolving. Your name, your reputation, your ideas of possessions and possessiveness are not your highest identity. When we boil any individual down enough, we find just a mind; no different from any other. When you inhale allow it to be mechanical. When you exhale again, dissolve these feelings again. The goal of this practice is to limit the sense of self-importance that, although seems natural, hinders us in our everyday lives. Plato put it best when he said “No human thing is of serious importance”. Let go of the Ego and the exaggerated sense of self-entitlement and you will find your daily life a place of peace and companionship.
There are many, many methods for meditation, and I will encourage all of you to look into and try as many as you can, because as Bruce lee said, take what is useful to you and leave the rest. This is a personal journey, and not all methods are best for everyone.
In short,
sit.
relax.
breathe (breathe in awareness and exhale delusion).
I’m no expert, so please if anyone has anything to add feel free to critique this
